Different Paths
by Anisky
Summary: An Alternate-Reality about what would have happened if the scientists hadn't found out about the goals of Project fic Crescent, and so the Amys were never sent away... From Number 13's POV (PG13 for graphic violence and killings)
1. Part 1

Different Paths

__

Amy, Number Thirteen, walked down the hallway.

The one unlike the others, the one who was not quite right.

"Here we are," said the nurse walking next to her, and guided Amy into the room. Thirteen walked into the infirmary, a place that she knew quite well. She walked over to the examining table and pulled herself up onto it, letting her legs dangle down off the end. 

"Number Thirteen, we have very good news," said Dr. Candler, her eyes shining.

Amy caught her breath. Very good news. That could only mean one thing in connection to Number Thirteen. "You can fix whatever's wrong?"

"Yes," Dr. Candler replied. "As it happens, there was nothing defective about your actual genetic structure. It was more a matter of something that happened to you shortly after your fetal stage."

Amy gave Dr. Candler a Look. "English, plain English, please."

Dr. Candler laughed. "Sorry. There's nothing physically wrong with you, or the way you were made. Rather, your difference is due to something that happened to you while you were still a developing as a baby."

Amy looked at Dr. Candler almost suspiciously. "So you're saying that when I was a baby ... something … happened, to make me stupid and sick a lot and all?"

"Oh, Thirteen, you're not stupid.But for the rest of it, basically yes," replied Dr. Candler.

"So, what happened? To make me like this? Will I even understand?" asked Thirteen.

"You'll understand what happened, but I doubt that right off you'd understand why it would make you the way you are. Your left earlobe was punctured."

Number 13 stared. "I have a hole in my left ear. So what?"

Dr. Candler smiled. "Oh, you wouldn't understand right away why that would affect anything, but trust me, it does. The important thing is, we can fix it! We can make you like the other Amys!"

Amy gave small gesture of disgust. "I won't suddenly have their personality, will I?"

Dr. Candler gave Number Thirteen a reproachful look. "The other Amys aren't that bad, Thirteen. They're just not used to anyone different, especially not one of them. You'll like them more once you're like them."

Amy shrugged. "They're not even that much better. Just never sick and no allergies, and kind of smart. Nothing special." She'd always wanted to point that out to them, but telling Dr. Candler was the next best.

Dr. Candler looked thoughtful. "We realized this. One of the hypotheses was that the Amys' extraordinary characteristics wouldn't be apparent until puberty." She gave a small smile. "That's coming soon, I'm sure," she teased a little. "So it's a good thing that we can fix it before then or else you'd really be different," she finished, more serious.

Amy Number Thirteen grinned. Dr. Candler was always the nicest of the doctors. According to rumor she hadn't wanted to keep the Amys in a controlled environment without any family ties. What Number 13 _did_ know was that Dr. Candler obviously made an effort to be motherly towards the clones. "So," said Amy, "when are you fixing this?" 

"Now," replied Dr. Candler, "Though it may take a day or two to completely heal. Now, hold still!" she commanded, as Thirteen squirmed a little at the slight burning feeling in her earlobe, where the doctor was applying some sort of goo. Amy obediently tried to hold still. "There you go!" she said cheerfully, sticking a small bandage over the area where she put the goo. "Now, with any luck, that'll be the last time I ever have to do that!"

"Well, it certainly isn't the first," sighed Thirteen. "I hope this does work." 

"It will, don't worry!" said Dr. Candler with eyes that almost seemed to laugh. 

"It'd better," sighed Thirteen, sliding down from the table, "'Cause I'm not sure how much longer I can stand the other Amys if they keep being like this." 

Dr. Candler sighed and ruffled Amy's hair a little. "Don't worry, when they see that you're as advanced as them … and pretty soon all of the Amy's powers will probably increase by a lot. They'll probably just figure that you were late in development, and they'll probably forget that you were ever different!"

Number Thirteen snorted.

"Well, only mention it in friendly jest, anyway," smiled the doctor, understanding what the young clone meant. 

"Friendly? You mean, they are capable of friendships?" asked Thirteen incredulously. 

Dr. Candler frowned at Thirteen, slightly disapproving. "As much as you are. They're certainly all friends with each other, are they not? It's not completely their fault, Thirteen. You are the only person different from them who are their age around. Of course they're not used to it; of course they point and laugh. Imagine if everyone was alike to you, and there was one different person who wasn't much older than you. Wouldn't you react in much the same way?"

Thirteen shrugged. "I wouldn't be that nasty."

Dr. Candler smiled sympathetically. She loved all of the Amys, but Thirteen was her favorite, despite the fact that she wasn't supposed to have favorites. The others were pretty mean to her, and it hurt Number Thirteen, whether or not Thirteen admitted how much it hurt. "Now, it's time for you to get back. If you hurry, you can make it to History in time."

Amy Number 13 groaned. "And I want to rush there? They may not be complete geniuses … yet, according to you … but they _are _smarter than me. I feel like such … I feel so stupid when I don't get it as soon as they do."

Dr. Candler sighed and put a hand on Thirteen's shoulder. "I know. But maybe it'll start to work already, okay? See how much better you are during this class, and afterwards tell me if there is any improvement. Alright?"

Thirteen made a tight-lipped smile and nodded. She doubted that there would be a difference; not now, probably not ever. Thirteen had never been an optimist; her name itself was bad luck. Thirteen. She did always have bad luck. She wasn't "perfect"; she was always sick, and allergic to everything. But she supposed that she'd just try to see if she was at all better at her classes. She shrugged and waved bye to Dr. Candler, making and effort to smile. 

Dr. Candler smiled back. "Bye, Amy. Now hurry!" 

Number Thirteen perhaps did not exactly hurry, but she did make it to History in time. She sat down at her desk, clearly marked "13", just like her necklace. Amy absentmindedly fingered her necklace: it was in the shape or a Crescent moon, and had the number "13" on it. All of the Amys had one; it was a way of identifying them. 

Like the way that right now she knew that it was Number 4 who said in a baby-voice "Awwwww, little 13 got a boo-boo on her little ear and had to go and run to the doctor?" upon seeing the bandage on Thirteen's ear. A few of the other Amys laughed quietly. Thirteen made a face at them, which sent them into further hysterics, that they somehow managed to keep silent. The rest of the Amys sat at their designated desks. As they all suddenly stopped laughing the moment the Teacher, Miss Eires, came in, Thirteen wondered if maybe that was one of their skills, the ability to stop laughing. Thirteen gave a silent snort. 

"Hello, everyone," said Miss Eires with a smile. "How was break?" She was referring to the 1 hour the Amys were granted between Math and History; the Amys' education was very complete and vigorous, they rarely had holiday breaks; only when all the teachers were taking off. 

Thirteen smiled. If what Dr. Candler said was true, her break was great; wonderful, the best moment of her life. A few of the Amys muttered a "fun" or "nice" or "good". 

"Alright, then, lets get to work. Would everyone please take out their papers that we started yesterday?"

Of course they did. How could they not? It was unheard of for someone to lose an assignment; occasionally Thirteen did. It was just some stupid thing Miss Eires said from her old days teaching _normal _kids. Well, actually she was a teacher of Gifted Children, but still wasn't used to the to the educationally rigorous and, (in their views, even if it wasn't quite true) vastly superior Amys. 

They started working on the paper independently. It was difficult, as usual, and intended to make them work almost the entire hour that they had there. Number Thirteen was trying to see if anything was any easier for her, but as far as she could tell it was all the same. Then again, she was concentrating more on whether things were easier than she was on the paper, so that may have attributed to the fact that she, once again, was the last to finish. 

Checking the clock in a last hope, Thirteen also saw that she was about the normal amount of time late in finishing it. 

"Alright, everyone, stop talking," said Miss Eires, "please hand in the paper, it will be time for Physical Education in a few minutes. Now, for tomorrow, would you please read pages 56-80 on the Mythology book? Alright, you're dismissed."

The first twelve Amys walked out, a little tight-knit group, chattering about something or other. Number Thirteen stayed a few seconds to fill in the last question, then hurriedly handed the paper into the teacher and walked slowly out of the room, her eyes looking down. Gym. Thirteen absolutely hated gym, hated it almost as she hated Math. Thirteen just lacked the normal stamina that all of the other Amys had. 

She walked into the gym room, changing into the clothes that they were using for Physical Education. _Please, please let whatever Dr. Candler did work, _she prayed. Gym, besides being humiliating, was the worst because of how it made her feel. The exercises that made the other Amys slightly tired made Thirteen positively nauseous. After every single session at the gym, Number 13 would be convinced that she'd barf from feeling so bad. 

*******

Thirteen ran to the bathroom, like she did after every gym session. _That was_ awful, she thought, _just as bad as normal._ She leaned over the toilet for a few minutes, then stood back up when she was sure that she wouldn't vomit. She shakily walked out of the bathroom and wordlessly changed back into her normal clothes. She avoided the other Amys so that she wouldn't have to hear their taunts. 

The rest of the day, Amy Thirteen was more depressed than usual. Everything seemed the same, and she was sure that nothing was ever going to change. As soon as all of the other Amys were perfect, the way they were supposed to be, Dr. Morrison would get rid of Thirteen. Everyone knew it; she hated Number 13 enough as it was, constantly complaining about how much she was skewing the statistics. The other doctors, of course, weren't quite as awful about it, but it was obvious to Thirteen that they were disappointed in her. 

__

If they all get perfect, and I'm still the same, I'm gone for sure, Amy thought to herself. She'd be glad of that--she didn't exactly want to stay here. However, there were some doctors--for instance, Dr. Morrison, or Dr. Kelley-- who would not want Thirteen to be out in the public, where she might say something about the experiment. No, Thirteen was quite sure that she would be killed, without the knowledge of the less ruthless scientists. 

Thirteen blinked. That was the first time she'd thought of that; before, she'd simply figured that since she knew that Dr. Jaleski wouldn't kill her, then she would be fine. Up until now, she hadn't even thought of the fact that things would be done behind his back. 

__

Maybe I am getting smarter, she thought hopefully. But she didn't count on it. 

********

Over the next week, it was obvious that she _was _getting smarter. The other Amys were noticing it too, but didn't mention that. They _did_, however, stop making fun of Thirteen as much. 

Number 13 was noticing things too. Such as the fact that the other Amys were always going to one room, and talking in very low voices. About how they'd sometimes exchange meaningful glances. Thinking back--and the clone's memory was definitely getting better-- Thirteen realized that they'd been doing that for a while. They'd always go into one room and talk, but in much quieter, more serious tones than they had before. 

Around a week after the encounter with Dr. Candler, Amy went to gym class again. They had it twice a week; after last time she didn't feel nearly as sick, but she'd still been behind all of the other Amys in the push-ups and the footraces. Now, her mind seemed to be basically at their level in most areas, and besides that, she'd been practicing in her spare time. Thirteen was ready, hoping that she was as good as she thought. She_ had _to be, since all week she'd been improving in stuff…right? 

The Amy shook her head and cleared her mind, pulling her hair back into a ponytail so that it wouldn't get in her eyes during Physical Education. She jogged into the gymnasium, getting into position to start warm-ups. She launched into them with energy and enthusiasm, and the gym teacher gave her a surprised but approving glance when she saw the ease in which the clone did the exercises. 

After everyone was finished the warm-ups, the teacher announced that there'd be a footrace. 

"Alright, everyone, line up right there," she directed them, "and get ready…get set…GO!" 

The Amys took off, around the gym. Thirteen kept up a steady pace for the first lap, and stayed behind the rest of the Amys. Then, when they started the second lap, she dug into her reserves and with a burst of speed, passed all of them. She heard the small exclamations of surprise from the other clones. Once in the lead, she slowed back down to the speed that the rest of them were going. She won. 

The astonishment on the teacher's face was unmistakable. "Good job, Thirteen," was all she said before they got on with the lesson. 

After the class, Number 6 came up to Thirteen. "Meet us in Nine's room, at 8 o'clock," she whispered to Thirteen. The girl nodded, and the hint of a smile was showing in the corners of her mouth as she went off to eat her lunch. 

*******

Thirteen knocked on Nine's door, a bit nervous that this was all going to be some sort of practical joke. An Amy, identified as Two by her necklace, opened the door.

"Oh, hello Thirteen," she said, "come in." 

Thirteen did so. Looking around, she saw that all of the other clones were already there. "Hi…what's going on?" she asked uncertainly. 

"They fixed it, didn't they?" asked Seven. "They did something so that you weren't deficient anymore, didn't they?" She took a long look at Thirteen. "It's pretty obvious."

"Yeah…apparently there was a hole in my ear, according to Dr. Candler. Don't ask why that made me…deficient…" the last word came out bitterly, "But it did." 

"Hmm. Did you find anything else out from Dr. Candler?" asked One. 

Thirteen sat down. "Yeah…well, I guess the biggest thing, is that according to one hypothesis…" Thirteen hesitated. "We're smart, and better than most, you know, but not a _really_ lot, we're not _perfect_ like we were supposed to be." She stumbled over the "we's", but none of the Amys seemed to be objecting to her using that term, and they didn't dispute the fact that her statement was truthful, either. "Well, as I was saying, according to one hypothesis, we _will _become perfect, as we were designed to be, at puberty." 

Ten's eyes lit up. "I _told_ you guys!" she said excitedly. "Yeees!"

"You were right," acknowledged Number Seven. She turned back to Thirteen. 

The said Amy squirmed a little, worried that they'd tell her to leave now that they had the information that they wanted. She sighed, knowing that it would be too good to be true, to think that they were actually going to accept her. 

Instead, Seven gave a smile. "Welcome to the group, Thirteen," she said. "Welcome." 

*********

After that, the Amys didn't really have many more quiet sessions. Thirteen was always invited when they were meeting together, and all of the other clones were much nicer to her now that they saw how like them she was. Amy Number 13 _was_ still a bit of an outsider, of course, since her personality wasn't quite the same, but they weren't nasty to her anymore and she was becoming closer to them every day. 

About a month later, the Amys were definitely improving, all of them. They suddenly could all finish all of the sheets in half, a fourth, and soon a tenth of the time intended, and their performance in gym was going off the chart. The talks when they met became more serious; their dreams of taking over the world were being spoken of not as jokes, but more as something that they were going to set out to achieve. 

"But…I mean, I doubt with these people here, the doctors, that we'll ever be able to break away from them," said Thirteen cautiously. She was still very nervous about this whole idea. Yeah, being in power sounded okay…and the thought of all the excitement, of achieving their goals, the plots, that was the sort of thing that appealed to the Amys, including Number 13. But they seemed too ruthless…and Thirteen was starting to get the idea that they were _serious_ about it. That really scared her, much as she hated to admit it. 

It also occurred to Thirteen that the Amys were programmed to want to have power, and that scared her even more. Again, she'd never admit it. 

"Alright, girls," said Dr. Candler one day, "I'm sure that you've noticed how much you've changed. The perfection that you have been engineered to maintain is coming into full bloom."

All of the Amys exchanged secretive smiles. Number Thirteen shifted a little, knowing what they were thinking. She still wasn't quite sure how she felt about their plans, but the _thirst_ that she was feeling for power made her feel more than ever that they were programmed for just this response, for it to come at the same time that their perfection came out. 

"So," continued Dr. Candler, "we have decided that your performance should be reevaluated. Your IQ, physical ability, and sensory abilities are obviously much higher than last time we tested them. So, today, instead of going through your normal classes, you'll spend the days in testing. Now, we're only going to test you one at a time, so One can come with us, while the rest of you go to the recreation area, alright?"

The Amys nodded and followed the nurse back to the open area. They knew the way, of course, but someone was always there to make sure that they didn't wander off where they didn't belong. 

Thirteen had often wondered what they would find in those areas that they "didn't belong", and both hoped and dreaded that she would someday find out. 

Once in the recreation area, all of the Amys gathered together. 

"Okay," whispered Nine, who was often the leader, "We'll clue One in when she gets here, and anyone else who goes to take the tests. But this is it, I think."

"What do you mean?" whispered Three. 

"I overheard some of the scientists talking. It was a medical checkup, and they hadn't taken into account our new hearing abilities. Well, it turns out that the _goal_ of this was to create a ruling race of the world, originally!" Nine shook her head, obviously looking amazed at this coincidence. 

"Of course," whispered Thirteen. 

"What?" Nine asked Amy 13, confused. 

Number Thirteen took a deep breath. "We all want to take over the world, all of us. It became really important to us, just recently. Just when our powers were about to come out. Hasn't it occurred to you that there was a reason for that?" the clone paused to let that sink in. "When we were first created, there must have been someone who knew this aim, and programmed us to like the idea."

Nine shrugged. "Well, as long as we do get the power, I don't care why we want it. But as I was saying, we may not get that power." She paused, looking at everyone. Nobody bothered to ask why, knowing that she'd tell them. The Amys told each other everything--after all, they were practically the same person, right? "Some of the scientists-- Jaleski, Hopkins, Candler, for instance-- are not going to let it happen."

Amy Thirteen gasped at the last name. Of course Candler wouldn't, but Number 13 had an uneasy idea about what the other Amys were thinking, and she didn't want that to happen to Dr. Candler.

"So, we all know what the solution is, I think," smiled Nine. 

Twelve nodded. "We kill them." 

__

A/N: Whew! I've been wanting to write this FOREVER!! This is only the first part; I'm definitely planning on having other parts out soon. Knowing me lately, it'll be *very* soon. I'll probably continue whether you like it or not--I write for ME. However, if you don't like it I may decide not post it here. But please, give me reviews, whether or not you liked it! I want to know what you think of it, so that I can learn to get better. Thanks for reading!!

--Anisky


	2. Part 2

Different Paths, Part 2

"Kill them?" shrieked Thirteen. Everyone looked at her, and she paused a moment, shrinking back a little. She took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and stood up tall again. "But they're the ones responsible for us being alive at all! Without them, we wouldn't _exist_. You can't just kill them!" 

"What is the point of life without power?" questioned Seven, sounding completely sure of the fact that the only thing that mattered was control.

Amy 13 looked around at everyone, trying to find compassionate eyes, ones that would understand her. All of them were cold, hard. All of them looked as if they agreed with Amy 7. 

"Look, Thirteen," said one of the clones. With a quick glance at her necklace, Number Thirteen saw that it was Eight. "You won't have to kill any of them, okay? We'll let some of the others kill them. All you have to do is sit tight and be quiet."

Amy Number Thirteen closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, breathing hard. She felt like all of the energy had been taken out of her as she slumped like a deflated balloon. Her mind was whirling, trying to figure out what to do. This was like her worst nightmare, though Number 13 was sure that she was awake. _How could this be happening?_ she asked herself. _How did this all blow up in my face?_

"Are you agreeing then, Thirteen?" Amy 9 asked arrogantly, sure everyone would be supporting this decision. 

Amy 13's eyes snapped opened. "No!" she cried. She gasped for breath, feeling as if she was being suffocated, with a pillow over her face. The air thick, as if it were water, and she gulped it in desperately. "I won't let them be killed…they're the nicest doctors. Especially Dr. Candler!"

Two of the Amys exchanged a significant glance. Thirteen tried to figure out what it was when suddenly a thought--a very unwelcome thought--hit her, like a bucket of cold water being dumped over her head. "You'd kill me!" 

Number Four looked hesitant, but opened her mouth to speak. "Not unless there was no other solution. We wouldn't be so casual about killing one of our own as we are about killing a few doctors. However, if you left us no choice at all, and it was either you or us…"

Amy Number Thirteen looked at the ground. "Well…" she said slowly, thinking hard. "Give me a minute okay?" the clone asked desperately, trying to grasp a few extra seconds, hoping that somehow she'd be able to make everything right, change this around…

The other clone nodded, with an understanding look on her face. "Sure, maybe it would be better if you thought about it, got used to the idea."

Thirteen kicked one foot against the ground nervously, trying to clear her head and approach the situation in the most clear-minded direction possible, doing her best to sort everything out in her head. All of the Amys agreed with Four; that much was obvious. So the question came down to this: either her own life, or the doctors'. 

No, no. That wasn't right. Amy Thirteen was very strong, obviously, but twelve other Amys could, and would if necessary, easily kill her. Her dying wouldn't save the doctor's lives, because they'd simply kill her then go onto the doctors. Number Thirteen couldn't think of _any_ way to save those doctors, in fact. Everything seemed so hopeless; to think that a few hours ago, everything seemed almost perfect! There seemed only one solution, though…no need to die with no reason at all. 

"Fine," mumbled Thirteen, looking down at the ground. Her mind was buzzing, trying to figure out some sort of plan. There would be no chance to warn the doctors… That was it! The doctors would be seeing them individually, so Thirteen could warn the doctors about what the other Amys were planning! Amy Number 13 relaxed a little, knowing that she'd be able to prevent what was going on without actively going against the other Amys right now. 

Thirteen sighed, making her face look defeated. "I guess I'll go along with you guys then. But I'm _not_ killing anyone!" If Amy 13 looked very nervous saying this, everyone just assumed that she was uncomfortable about agreeing to something so scary-seeming, especially for the one of them who had always been on the outside. 

Some of the Amys nodded, but Thirteen wandered off as they discussed how they'd be killing the scientists. She knew that she ought to listen, so that she could tell the scientists to save them, but it all made her very sick. She was probably going to throw up if she listened to the other clones plan the deaths of Number 13's favorite scientists. They wouldn't move soon, anyway, so if she simply informed the doctors of the other Amys' plans to kill them, it should work out fine. 

__

Yeah, Amy, she said to herself, _You just keep on thinking that. _The feeling of dread was overwhelming, and "what ifs" kept going over and over in Thirteen's head. What if the doctors didn't believe her? What if the Amys found out and killed _her_? What if their plan was sooner than Number 13 thought, and she would be too late to do anything? What if? What if? What if? The thoughts went over her head, over and over, without end. She had no escape from her thoughts. 

__

What if I'm too late? 

*******

In fact, right across the room Thirteen's fears were becoming reality. The other Amys were discussing their plans, and in fact they didn't seem to be the procrastinating type. It was a very bad move of Amy 13's to not stay and listen to the plans, no matter how disconcerting they were to her. 

At the very moment, the other Amys were taking a break in discussing their plan to take a brief look at Thirteen. 

"She seems nervous," said Four, looking over at Thirteen. 

"Well, of course she is," smirked Seven, "she's used to being an outsider, so her only friends were the doctors. Don't worry, soon enough she'll be more like us. If she intended on trying to stop us, then she'd stick around to listen to our plans, right?" The Amy shrugged, looking anxious to plan the murder of the scientists in her way. 

"Yeah, she's smart enough to do that," agreed Nine. Smart as they were, none of the Amys seemed to remember that at one point, the doctors were the only friends that Thirteen had; this discussion was to Thirteen as the discussion of killing an Amy would be to any of the first twelve clones. Seeing the look on Amy Seven's face, Number Nine straightened, bringing her mind back to the business at hand. "However, we need to plan this out. Who is going to kill who?" 

"Well, since One, Two, and Three are already gone," Twelve seemed to be thinking, "how many of the doctors have to be killed?" 

"Four of them," supplied Ten, "so therefore four, five, six, and seven kill the doctors. Four, you kill Jaleski, Five, Gerard, Six, you kill Dr. Hopkins. Seven?"

Seven nodded. She'd always liked Dr. Candler, the doctor was nice. She had seemed to like Amy 7 more than most of the others, in fact, and the clone would be sad to see the doctor go. However, Seven was, like most of the other clones, ruthless. This was for power, and she'd do whatever had to be done to achieve _that_. "Yeah, I'll kill Candler. I have this," she pulled a knife out of her boot. 

"What?" screeched one of the Amys.

"_How_ did you get that?" whispered another excitedly

At the exclamations of all the other clones, Amy Seven grinned. "I got it from the operating table when I went into the back rooms. I thought it might come in handy." She threw it into the air, and it did a few cartwheel flips before Number 7 caught it again by the handle, and slipped it back into her boots. Her brown hair fell over into her eyes, and she brushed it back impatiently. "But what will the others use?" 

Four smiled. "Our strength? We have enough of it to kill them, don't worry about that. It'll get done." 

"Yeah…" Number Seven was always practical, thinking everything out. "Well, the alarms will be put off when they find one of the doctors dead. They'll stop and know that it was whichever Amy was in there…even if they don't, they'll suspect it." 

"No," spoke up Eight, "they won't know that the doctor is dead. They don't look in, remember? We don't tell them that the doctors are dead, and they won't know until the end, when they go in for the report, so until Thirteen is out, they won't find out. The rest of you just have to go around with the nurses." 

Amy Seven nodded slowly, remembering the face. "In that case, I can easily kill all of them. I have the knife, after all," she pointed out. The clone, despite volunteering for the job, looked slightly queasy at the thought of killing four people in a row. 

"No, no," Number 9 shook her head, noticing the look on Amy Seven's face, "we're not going to make anyone kill more than once, okay? This is a joint effort." 

Seven nodded. "Yeah…is everyone for it?" She looked around at the other Amys, and saw the approval on their faces. A few of them looked a bit squeamish, but none of them were contesting the idea at all. 

Just then, a nurse came in. "Amy, Number Four?" she called from the doorway. 

Number Four stood up and yelled "Coming!" over towards the nurse. She turned towards the other Amys. "Okay, this is it. When I come back in, Jaleski will be dead." She looked a bit nervous, but quickly covered up the look with a sniff as she stuck her nose in the air. With that, she walked over to the nurse and followed her out of the recreation area to the first office, preparing for her first kill. 

The other Amys watched her go. "Maybe someone should clue Thirteen in?" Twelve suggested hesitantly. "After all, she's going to go through the tests, and she might be pretty scared if she goes in to find one of them dead." 

All of the Amys kind of looked down. "Well…" started Six hesitantly, then stopped a moment. "How about we do that later? After all, we can't be _sure_ that she's not a traitor." 

"I don't like us thinking of each other as traitors!" exclaimed Twelve. 

"Well, seriously, we don't know Thirteen very well. We _can't_ be sure. How about, someone tells her right before she has to leave? That way she won't scream or anything, but she won't be able to prevent it, either." 

Twelve looked, uncomfortable, but nodded. Thirteen was sitting across the room, looking at the ground and appearing to be deep in thought. She didn't move for a long time, even when Five and Six were called out. Twelve tried to figure out what Thirteen was thinking about, but couldn't really think of anything that could occupy someone for so long. 

However, the subject of Thirteen's worry wasn't anything complicated; was just yelling at herself. She'd run away when she should have stayed. _I didn't even use my hearing to find out what they were doing_! She screamed at herself. _They could be plotting exactly what they're going to do, and I could have found out how to stop it, but no, I had to be a coward and leave because I was afraid of the topic. For all I know, my squeamishness could be the cause of the deaths. Stupid, stupid, STUPID!_

"Amy, Number Seven?" called the nurse from the doorway. The clone stood up, nodding at the nurse to show that she'd heard. She turned to the remaining clones, a nervous look on her face. 

"Okay, now," whispered Nine, "Go for it, Seven. You can do it." 

Seven nodded, smiling at Nine and relaxing a little. She kept inside how worried she really feeling. Much as she hated to admit it, she _did_ like Dr. Candler, a lot, and didn't _want_ to kill her. _Come on, Amy, _she thought, _you have to do this. You are _going_ to do this, so don't try to duck out of it. _Amy 7 walked over to the nurse, and followed her out into the hall. They walked through the gray metal hallways_. Nothing is ever colorful around here,_ Seven realized. She shrugged, and put that insignificant thought at the back of her mind, preparing for the coming ordeal. 

The nurse stopped in front of the door. As Eight had predicted, the nurse didn't come in, just stood there waiting for Amy to enter the room. She did so. The waiting room was right before the office, but Seven walked right through that and went into the office without bothering to knock. She slipped in and sat down on the table. Her eyes were cold, though the sides of her mouth curved into a friendly smile as she greeted Dr. Candler. 

"Hello, doctor," she said in a voice that seemed friendly and relaxed, "How are you?"

Dr. Candler smiled back at Number Seven. "I'm fine, Amy, how about you?"

"Oh, everything's great with me," responded Seven, sweetly, but careful not to make her voice too sweet. She grinned at the doctor, as if she liked her a lot and was glad to be there. In reality, the clone was really worried about the upcoming ordeal, and realized that she was also a bit disgusted at Dr. Candler's inferiority. _I never really felt like that, _she realized, a feeling that she couldn't place welling up in her stomach. However, none of this showed on her face. The only thing that appeared on Amy 7's face was what she wanted to appear there. 

"Alright, then, we'll be testing you now," she said. "If you would please put those earphones over your ears? All right, now you know the drill, right? Raise the hand that you hear the sound in." 

Amy Seven nodded, sitting down in the chair carefully. This was routine, they'd had _this_ test every year. She put on the headphones, looking at the doctor. She was looking at some sort of graph…then the doctor looked up and smiled at Amy, walking over towards the chair. "Alright, then, we'll start," she said. She walked over to the machine just a few feet from Seven's chair, and turned her back, looking at it. 

__

Perfect, thought Number Seven evilly. She kicked her legs up, and pushed them forward with as much strength as she could. They connected with Dr. Candler's back with a sickening _crunch_ sound, and the doctor fell to the floor. The crunching sound made Amy's stomach jump uncomfortably, but she pushed the feeling down and tried to ignore it. 

Seven jumped up, standing over the doctor. She felt Candler's back; it was broken. "Well, you're paralyzed," said Amy Number Seven slowly, "But that won't be enough." 

"W--what?" asked Dr. Candler fearfully, looking up at the girl, the girl who looked so innocent. 

"Well, you're against using us Amys as a ruling class, remember?" Number 7 smiled down at the older woman. "Well, we _want_ to be a ruling race." She took out the knife out of her boot, lifting it up. 

"Why are you doing this?" sobbed Dr. Candler. "I loved you Amys, loved you as if you were my own daughters. I…I thought that you loved me too." She shook her head, as if she was trying to figure it all out. 

Amy 7 smirked, trying to hide the sadness from her eyes. "Yes," she said. "You were _useful,_ so we took advantage of that." She knelt down next to the body. "But you have outlived your usefulness, dear doctor," Seven whispered. "We won't let you be a hindrance to our success." With that, she took the knife and plunged it through Dr. Candler's ear, through her brain. The woman was dead within seconds; the last thing she saw was the evil smirk on the face of her murderer, the girl that she loved. 

Amy Number Seven stood up, and walked towards the door. She cast one glance back at the corpse, and something came over her face. The look almost seemed akin to regret. However, she shook her head and any traces of humanity left her as she walked out of the room. 

__

Anything for success, she reminded herself. _No matter what. _

Amy sat down in the waiting room. The nurse would still be outside the door, and Number 7 knew that it would look suspicious if she came out of the room too fast. However, Amy Seven was _not _going to sit in the room with the corpse of the woman that she'd killed. 

It was probably a good thing for Seven, that she had time to sit down and calm herself, slow down her racing heart and force the feelings off of her face. Suddenly the clone realized that someone might want to look in the office, and it would be better if they didn't find the doctor than if they found her dead body. Feeling disgusted and scared, Amy went back into the office. 

She flinched on seeing the body. Dr. Candler's lips were already turning blue, and most of the coloring was gone from the woman, a tinge of purple starting soil the woman's peach complexion that she'd had when she was still alive. The clone sucked in a deep breath and walked forward shakily. When she reached down to touch the body, a shudder passed through the girl's body. _Come on, you have to do this, _she told herself, and grabbed the cold wrists of the doctor, feeling nausea well up in her stomach. _I never felt sick before, _thought Amy, _but I guess I'm not immune to this. _

The flesh was still warm, though it was colder than flesh normally was. The limpness, though, the absence of any kind of strength, that was the worst part. Even when someone was sleeping, picking up a limb of that person was nothing like the limp, _dead_ feeling of the corpse. That feeling gave nightmares to Seven for weeks to come; it was so lifeless, so soft and yet so hard. 

Grabbing both of those awful wrists, Number 7 dragged the corpse to the door of the closet. She pulled open the door, and thrust the corpse it, trying to get rid of that awful feeling that touching the dead body brought on. Her wrists still tingled, remembering how it had felt to lift up those arms. 

Number 7 quickly walked out of the office, trying to get that awful feeling away. This time, she needed a considerably longer period of relaxation to calm herself down. She didn't completely succeed; any observant person would be able to see the haunted look in her eyes. 

Thankfully for Seven, the nurse outside wasn't observant. The woman didn't notice anything odd about the clone at all, simply motioned for Number Seven to follow her. Amy did so, and gave a mental sigh of relief. She would have let out all the breath that she was holding, but she was worried that if she actually made a noticeable gesture of relief then the nurse would realize that the Amy had been worried about something. 

Walking into the next office and finding the next doctor dead did nothing for Amy Seven's rattled nerves. Even though she should have been prepared for it, seeing the body lying there was just more than the girl could take. The body was there, the entire body limp and the head hanging sickly at an impossible angle. 

Amy Seven sank to the floor, feeling almost dead herself. The girl just sat there limply a few minutes, too numb to do anything. Finally she started breathing again, though for a while it was in desperate gasps. Shakily, Amy got up again and shuddered at the thought of touching another corpse. She looked desperately around and grabbed one of the crutches that were propped up against the wall. 

Even from the end of the crutch, the dead feeling was still there. Maybe it was just Number 7's imagination, but that soft, hard feeling was still there. The clone had to work hard to stop her entire body from going into spasms. 

__

Stop being so weak, Seven thought to herself angrily, but somehow it didn't help her situation. As pushing the body around with the stick wasn't helping, Amy opened the closet door and threw the dead body into the space, shutting the door again quickly. Picking up the entire body was awful, not any easier than it had been to feel the dead body the first time, but at least now she hadn't had to hold it for long. 

Thankfully, the Amys that killed the other two doctors had hid the body somewhere, and Number Seven didn't have to go through any more experiences like that. The next office that she'd gone into had nobody there, and Amy 7 did certainly _not_ go looking for the body. She'd just sat in the waiting room for about fifteen minutes, trying to sort things out in her head a little bit at least. 

"Amy, is something wrong?" asked Dr. Kelley hesitantly, looking down at the girl. "You don't look so great." 

"Gee, thanks," said Seven wryly, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. Of course Kelley would realize that something was wrong; she always saw that sort of look in peoples' eyes. Not that she was sentimental, nobody would call her that, but she did seem to understand the Amys. 

"Seriously, you look upset," the doctor pressed on. 

"I'm _fine_," insisted Amy Number 7. 

"Alright, then, care to begin the test?" 

Seven nodded, and they went on to the test. Thankfully for Amy it was an eye test, which didn't really require much thinking or concentration. If she'd had to take a math test or another sort of mind vexing test, the scores would not have been as high as they could have been, and then the doctor would_ really _know that something was wrong. 

The test took longer than Amy Seven had waited in the other rooms, which made her a little nervous, worrying that the Nurse would realize something. However, she didn't have to worry; the nurse didn't notice anything, or didn't say anything if she did. 

__

Everyone else being stupid compared to you really is an asset! Seven tried grin to herself as she was led back to the recreation area. It wasn't quite working very well--no matter how much she tried to be happy right now, she couldn't get the looks of the dead out of their eyes. _It was for power, _Amy Seven tried to remind herself, but somehow the words seemed to sit dead in her mind. 

The only person who hadn't been taken yet who was still there was Thirteen, who was moping around over by the window, looking out. Number Seven walked up to the girl, putting on a mask of happiness. 

"Hey," she said amiably, casually leaning against the wall near Amy 13. "What's up?" 

Number Thirteen shrugged. "Just worried, I guess," she said, then to Seven's surprise she looked panicked a moment after saying that. Amy Thirteen seemed to take a deep breath and after a few moments during which a look of fright had entered the girl's eyes, she quickly added: "You know, these tests might say that I'm not as good as you guys, and all. I've had to live with being worse my whole life, and after a few weeks of me being like you guys…that could be taken away, and all." The girl seemed to lose the panic in her eyes as she said that, and Seven guessed that what Thirteen had just said hadn't been what was on her mind. However, she didn't mention it, and just nodded. 

"Well, actually, you don't have to worry," said Seven, knowing that the other clone probably didn't know exactly what had just happened in the testing rooms. Amy 7 really didn't want to talk about what happened, but as far as she could tell nobody had gotten up the courage yet to tell the last clone what was going on, and _somebody_ had to tell her before she was called. "You see--"

"Amy, Number Thirteen?" called the nurse who was standing at the door. "It's your turn." 

Thirteen nodded. "I'll talk to you after I'm tested, okay?" she said to Amy Seven as she jogged over to the nurse. Thirteen didn't want to waste any time getting to the doctors and telling them of the danger present. 

All of the Amys worriedly looked after Thirteen, worrying about what the girl would do when she found the body. Would she give them away, about the fact that the Amys were responsible for the murder of the scientists? 

Would the Amys have to kill Number Thirteen? 

__

A/N: Eek! Did I write that? *shudder* I didn't know I've been that_ depressed lately!  
I know that it was dark, sickening, and probably way too gross. I'm sorry! *hides head in hands* I don't know what got into me! I understand if you don't like this section, since it was so gross…but I couldn't just skimp over it, saying "the Amys killed the doctors" or something without letting you know the emotions of one of the murderers.   
Okay, now WHY am I trying to justify what I write to my readers? *is disappointed in herself for doing that* Anyway, I'm sure you didn't like it, but please, review? Pretty please? Thanks. _

--Anisky


	3. Part 3

Different Paths, Part 3

__

Disclaimer: Ooops! I forgot to put one of these in last time! Well, Project Crescent, the 13 Amys, and most of the doctors don't belong to me, they belong to Marilyn Kaye. 

A/N: I guess I'll put this at the beginning this time, since it's the final installment. Well, here it is, the last part. Dark, depressing, morbid…in other words: the stuff I normally write. Hehehe. It might end up shorter the first two parts, but not by very much…as I'm ending it here, it's kind of hard to add in other scenes besides what I need to get the end. *shrug* Anyway, I hope that you enjoy it! 

Thirteen got to the end of the recreation area to the nurse. She followed the woman down the hall nervously. Once again, all the worries came through her head, stronger than they had been before. What had Amy Seven wanted to say? It had seemed pretty urgent, maybe Thirteen should have stayed to find out what it was…

__

Relax, Amy, she told herself. _In a few minutes this will all be over. Relax. _It was obviously a hard thing to try to follow her own advice when the problem was that she was a sister to twelve murderers, but this whole thing would be over soon…soon… Amy 13 fought to keep her mind under control, and forced herself to start breathing again. 

The nurse stopped in front of the door to Dr. Candler's office, a place that Amy Thirteen had been to many times. For all that she'd hated being so weak and hurt so much, the clone would have much preferred to be going to the office under those circumstances than the ones that took her there now. 

"Dr. Candler?" asked Amy Thirteen as she walked into the waiting room. She knocked on the closed wooden door connecting the two rooms, surprised that it wasn't opened. "Hello?" Nobody answered the door. A feeling of dread crept into Number 13's stomach, and she fought to keep it down. "Hello? Dr. Candler?" she called again, opening the door and walking in. There was nobody there, and the clone fought the light feeling her head was getting, the one that meant intense worry. 

Okay, one breath at a time, Thirteen told herself, trying to calm down. Her hands felt clammy and they were covered in sweat. The girl's throat suddenly felt dry, and she struggled to swallow. With the pit in her stomach getting larger, Amy looked around the room, trying to figure out where Candler could be. Her eyes fell onto the closet door. 

__

Please no, she thought as she walked over to the door slowly. The girl licked her lips nervously, praying that she wouldn't find what she thought she'd find there. She put her sweaty hand onto the doorknob and turned it slowly. Thirteen bit her lip and threw the door open quickly, hoping to get this over with. _There can't be --_

The thought cut off as Thirteen saw what had just fallen out of the closet. _Oh my god,_ Amy 13's eyes closed and slowly opened again, hoping that this was all an illusion. The girl fought back a scream desperately, her throat feeling sore. A shaking hand reached out to feel the body, touching it briefly. It was so cold, and Amy shuddered at the feel of it. She quickly retracted the hand, shuddering. 

The girl looked around, having no idea what to do now. What could she do? Stay here, pretending that nothing was wrong? That way, she would be blamed too…but the other clones would kill her if they found out that she'd told the doctors their plan! For the first time in her life, Thirteen was completely at a loss for what to do. She pushed the body back into the closet, closing it, so that she wouldn't have to see it. After that, the girl just stared at the door, backing up slowly as if she expected the corpse to wake up and attack her. 

__

This can't be happening. This isn't happening. It can't be. Amy 13's thoughts were all jumbled around. How could this be true? It was like something out of a nightmare, only this was no dream. It was too real to be a dream. 

Taking a deep breath, Number 13 walked out to the nurse, still having no idea what she was going to say. She barreled out of the room with a look of panic on her face that even the nurse couldn't ignore. 

"What's wrong, dear?" she asked. "You didn't stay in there for very long." 

"Th-the…the…" sputtered Thirteen, trying to form words and trying to figure out what to tell her. Should she tell the truth? Should she lie? Should she-- "Dr. Candler is dead!

"What?" exclaimed the nurse. "Impossible." She walked into the office and into the room. After that she came back out. "Just because she's not there, child, is no reason to worry like that. I'm sure that the doctor is just at the bathroom or something. Just wait a few minutes. Be patient, all right?" 

"No, she's dead," sobbed Amy 13 more, having no idea what she was doing, what she should do, or even have any idea of her actions at all. "Follow me." The clone ran back into the office and pulled opened the closet door, not even seeing whether or not the nurse was behind her. 

"Amy Thirteen, this is silly, you should know better than to get--" The nurse trailed off in shock as she walked through the door. Her eyes widened and she swiftly went over to the corpse, going to check the pulse. 

"She's already dead, I checked," whispered Thirteen faintly, feeling utter exhaustion. The girl slumped again, not believing all that was happening. Just yesterday her world had been perfect! Had that been yesterday? The past hours of the clone's life felt more like years. Everything was turned upside down, and there was no way to make it okay again. 

"Did you?" screeched the nurse angrily. "Are _you_ responsible for this?" 

"Of course I'm not!" wailed Thirteen, wringing her hands together in anger and terror. The mourning in her eyes was obvious even to the nurse. "I loved Dr. Candler!" 

The nurse softened and felt bad, giving the girl a hug. "Stay here, okay? Just stay here, I'll get one of the other doctors." 

Thirteen nodded, turning away from the corpse uncomfortably. She walked over to the examining table and sat on it in the direction facing the wall. The tears that had been held up the past few minutes all spilled over the edge of her eye, streaming silently down the face and hitting the floor with a soft pat each time. That sound only strengthened the tears and they came down even more quickly, like a small river making it's way down Thirteen's face as she waited for the nurse to get back with the doctors. 

After a while--long enough for quite a puddle to form on the floor--the three remaining doctors came in. "Alright, Amy Thirteen, do you know what happened?" asked Morrison crossly, only slightly shaken by seeing the body on the floor. 

__

How much of a monster is_ that woman? _Amy wondered as she turned around to face them. The doctors' expressions softened slightly when they saw the sadness, the mourning, on the clone's face, saw the tears still streaming down as she hiccuped for air. 

"Take a moment to catch your breath, Thirteen, but we really need to know," said Dr. Yin. The clone nodded, trying to stop crying at least enough to speak coherently. 

"It was the other Amys." Number Thirteen barely recognized her own voice, it was so scratchy right now, so hoarse. "They wanted power, so they killed the doctors in their way." 

"How do you know that?" asked Morrison sharply. "Did you know about it?"

"Only today," Amy 13's tears began anew, with even more strength than before. "I didn't have time to warn anybody, they just came up with the plan while we were are the recreation area. I…I didn't stay and listen to the entire plan, since the thought of them killing the doctors sickened me and I didn't think that they'd move so quickly." She looked up worried at the doctors' faces. "What?" she asked even more shakily, seeing the expressions on their faces. 

"Nothing, Amy," said Kelley hastily, "Don't worry, we believe you. We'll do something about it. I'll bring you back there until we do something, alright?"

"Please don't tell them that I told you?" Thirteen's eyes were pleading. "They'll kill me if they know that I gave away their plan." She didn't see the quick glance between Dr. Morrison and Dr. Yin when she said that; she was focused on Kelley. 

"Don't worry, I won't," said Kelley, trying not to let her guilt show. 

"But they'll know that you know when you come and them," Amy pointed out, choking a little. "The ones still in testing? And also, when I'm back early, they'll know…"

"We'll take care of it, don't worry. Come on, I'll walk you back." Dr. Kelley put a comforting arm around Amy Thirteen's shoulder, and the clone allowed herself to be guided out of the room, wiping away her tears and attempting to try to make her eyes less red and puffy. She nodded, trying to believe the doctor. She walked into the room shakily, her eyes still red and puffy. She went to the corner of the room, trying to avoid being noticed. 

"You told them, didn't you?" Spinning around, Thirteen saw an Amy standing there. Her eyes were too puffy, her vision too blurred, for her to be able to see the necklace that told which number the other clone had. 

"I didn't mean to," Thirteen swallowed, "but I was so panicked when I saw the doctor there, that I didn't know what I was doing…I think that maybe I still don't. I had no idea what to expect. Oh, I don't even know why I'm saying this." The girl banged her head against the wall, feeling more confused than she ever had before. 

The other clone nodded. "You told them that it was us?"

"I just _said_ that, didn't I?" raged Thirteen. The other clone ignored her, musing to herself. 

"But, you weren't in a state of mind where you could decide what you wanted to do. So, you did betray us and yet at the same time you didn't." The girl cocked her head, deep in thought. "The problem is, are they going to kill us? No, they couldn't, they need us for the experiment…" 

Thirteen tuned the girl out, getting a feeling of dread as she looked up at the blank wall. That was a viewing screen, she knew it. The doctors were probably watching them right now, waiting. _What are they going to do_? she wondered, her eyes darting around._ They're going to kill the others… _Even though she knew that they deserved it, she still felt a pang of regret, looking past this Amy to the rest of them, who were talking amongst themselves. 

*********

In fact, Thirteen was right on all counts. It was a viewing screen, and the doctors were right on the other side of it. They were discussing what to do about the Amys, and they had reached the obvious solution: they must be eliminated. The murderers couldn't be allowed to live. 

"You know that we have to, Dr. Morrison," said Dr. Kelley quietly. Yin wasn't there, he was preparing the gas that was to be released into the room. 

Dr. Morrison nodded, sadly. "I wanted to work with the clones so much," she murmured, looking through the one-way glass into the recreation room. 

"We can't let them live, Grace. You saw how ruthless they were; they killed four doctors, the doctors that created them. They'd do anything for power, and they'll kill us if we ever appear to be a hindrance to their success, if we ever threaten their chance for power." Dr. Kelley looked over the Amys too, with regret in her eyes. "We can't risk our own lives." 

Grace nodded. "I know. I know. I just wish we could have done something differently, so that we didn't have to do this…" She sighed, looking out over the Amys for the last time while they were alive. The girls were talking with each other, with serious expressions on their faces, although sometimes their conversation was interrupted by laughter. Only one of them wasn't with the rest. "What about Amy Thirteen?" she asked. 

"What about her?" asked Kelley, looking over at the clone. 

"She didn't kill anybody, and I don't think that she would. Couldn't we keep her alive, for study?" The doctor's voice was wistful as she looked over at the lone Amy, standing away from the rest with tears streaming down her face. 

"No, we have to kill them all. Sooner or later Thirteen would try something, you know that she would. Besides, we couldn't just save one of them, and kill the rest. Somebody would find out about it and we could get in trouble for not disposing of all the clones." Dr. Kelley's voice was regretful, but it was also firm. 

"Dr. Kelley? Dr. Morrison?" Yin's voice came into the office, a few seconds before the doctor himself appeared. "It's ready." They all knew what he meant.

Grace Morrison nodded, casting one last glance at the Amys before she flipped the switch. The toxic gas was released into the air of the tightly sealed recreation room with a hiss. The clones looked over at the vents and saw the slight color of the toxin as it was flowing out of the ventilation system. 

After that, Dr. Morrison couldn't take it anymore, and she blanked the screen so that she wouldn't have to see her Amys, her creations, dying. The room was soundproof, so the doctor was spared hearing their dying groans, the screams…

********

…the Amys, though, they didn't have any escape from what was going on. Thirteen looked quickly at the gas, and closed her eyes, falling to the floor. The tears in her eyes were overflowing as she buried her head in the ground. Not to try to escape the gas…just because she felt so awful, she didn't know what else to do. Oh, why did this all have to happen? Why were they killing _her_? The others, yes, but she was _warned_ them! She'd told them the truth! 

__

I was just too damn trusting, she thought to herself drearily as the toxic poison started to take effect._ I thought that they'd save me, they wouldn't do anything to me. _With a last sigh, the girl realized something else as the sounds of the dying clones all around her were growing fainter and fainter; whether it was because the others were less able to make sound, or because Thirteen was more detached from it, can not be said. _It's Dr. Morrison and Dr. Kelley killing me. Just like I knew. But this is because I _am_ perfect, not because I'm not. _Even in her last moments, Thirteen recognized the irony of that. 

__

I was a fool, she realized as she brought in her last gasping breath. _For all I was perfect, I as naïve. I thought they'd save me, just like I'd thought that Jaleski and the others would have saved me while I was still imperfect. For all I was advanced, I still made the same exact mistakes. _

With those last dreary thoughts, the body of the clone slumped, never again to think another thought. 

A few hours later, when the doctors were sure that all of the toxin was gone, the workers came in to clear out the bodies. The remaining clone specialists would have nothing to do with the dead bodies, except to examine them one last time quickly. 

The three remaining doctors walked into the room where the Amys were piled, looking regretfully at the corpses. Looking down the row, Dr. Kelley gasped suddenly. 

"Count them!" she exclaimed. "There are only twelve clones here!" Her voice bordered on the edge of panic; where was the last Amy? 

Glancing down at the clones, Dr. Yin saw that Kelley was right. He looked slowly at them, reading off their necklaces. "Eight…Twelve…" he read off, "Thirteen, One, Three, Seven…" One by one, until there were no left. "Well, you're right. We're missing one of them. Number Nine isn't here." He turned around quickly and walked down the hall. 

"Where are you going?" asked Kelley, almost hysterical. She followed him, taking quick steps to try and keep up with him. They walked into the viewing station of the recreation area. Yin flipped on the viewer quickly and surveyed the area. 

"They didn't forget to take out one of the clones," Dr. Yin noted nervously, leaning against the wall for support. "One of them wasn't killed, and is still out there somewhere. We didn't kill them all." 

The nervous look on Kelley's face turned to one of complete terror. 

********** 

Nine smirked, looking out of the window of the taxi that she was in. As soon as Thirteen had left, she'd quickly slipped out as well, knowing exactly what was about to happen. She'd known all along, in fact, back months ago when the Amys were still talking of the power as idle conversation. Well, maybe they hadn't been serious about it back then, but Nine was different, she always had been. Not different like Thirteen was…no, Amy 9 was even more focused, even more ruthless than the rest. 

She'd set up everything perfectly, step by step. She knew that when they killed those doctors, then the surviving ones would find a way to kill the Amys. 

She also made sure that she knew how to escape, and where to find money, lots of it, enough to escape and go somewhere else. 

__

That's the difference, Nine mused._ They wanted power, but they were willing to share it. But why would I divide power among twelve other people when I could have it all to myself? _

Amy, Number Nine, smiled as she looked out of the window. She wasn't Number Nine anymore; she was the only clone, the only one who was superior to the rest of the human race. She was better than _everybody_, and someday she'd rule the world. It might take a little bit longer, away from Project Crescent, but soon, very soon, she'd take control of the world, the _entire_ world. And she wouldn't share it with _anybody._

"We're here, miss," said the driver. Amy nodded, and stepped out of the car. "Uh, miss? Money, please?" he asked as she turned to go. 

"Of course," the girl nodded, with a sinister smile on her face. This man would recognize her, she knew, when the doctors tried to find her. He'd be able to describe her, and tell them where she was. 

Amy looked around, but they were alone in the parking lot. It was late at night; most places like this were deserted. The clone quickly took the knife out of her boot and threw it at him. Her aim was, of course, perfect, and went through his ear in the same place that Seven had stabbed Candler. The man's head tilted to the side, the knife's handle protruding from the side. Amy pulled the knife out again and wiped it on the driver's shirt. 

She then opened the door of the car and put the man's foot onto the pedal, thrusting the knife through so that it would stay down. She jumped back with inhuman speed, and watched as the car swerved around, hitting the wall at a fast speed and crashed, completely totaling the car. 

__

There. Nobody will suspect murder…and I'm free. She left the parking garage, walking out to the airport. They were connected, so she didn't have to worry about going outside and being seen; she couldn't stay here anymore, since the doctors would send people to search for her when they found out that someone was missing. She had to get away from here, far away. The farthest away that she could. 

"Hello," she said, smiling over the desk. "May I have one ticket to Los Angeles, California?" 


End file.
